Russian gas, Putin's double game: showing a more conciliatory face to European "customers"

The place is Moscow, the context is the plenary session of the “

” conference .

And it could only be energy, the topic of Russian gas supply, sanctions, Nord Stream 2 and the other gas pipelines that carry the Kremlin's gold around the world, the heart of the speech delivered this morning by

.

An unusually conciliatory president, who almost seems to show a more benevolent face to European countries, as long as they agree to continue buying his

.

Putin explicitly says so: “Russia is ready to supply further volumes of gas to Europe in the autumn-winter, the ball is in the field of the EU.

Moscow is ready to supply gas through the Nord Stream 2 line ”.

In other words: it is up to you whether to continue to have a commercial relationship with Russia, "overcoming" the differences due to the "small detail" of a bloody war provoked by Moscow.

On the controversial pipeline that, passing through Germany, brings gas to Europe, the head of the Kremlin makes a sort of balance, tracing the sums between advantages and disadvantages, between the damaged and the beneficiaries:

apart (never activated following the invasion of Ukraine), Vladimir Putin has very clear ideas about the suspected, intended damage to

: "

and countries with alternative supply routes".

Then he goes on the attack, speaking openly about sabotage and terrorism: “The purpose of the terrorist act against the Nord Stream gas pipelines was to undermine the energy security of the entire continent.

and thus weaken Europe ”added Putin, who considers the act a“ very dangerous precedent ”.

Here too, a double reading: if you don't move away from Moscow, as America and NATO would like, we could continue to do business.

Ukraine is a separate issue, we can come to an agreement by negotiating on a different table.

Other glimmers: "It is possible

caused by the explosions along the lines of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, but it will only make sense if they continue to operate and their safety is guaranteed".

The "tsar" does not forget his other commercial allies, who has not turned his back on him so far because of the war, who has not imposed sanctions on him and continues to buy his gas: the Russian Federation "will not act against its interests", declares President Putin, commenting on European plans to arrive at a

on energy supplies and calling them a "rigged game".

Moscow "will place its gas on world markets, which is why there are the

, the

and the

" said the head of the Kremlin, also announcing the start of construction - shortly - of the new

, bound for China.

Russia and the OPEC + countries expect the decisions taken on production cuts "will satisfy both producers and consumers", underlining - but it is more a hope than a certainty - that the coordination of countries within this format will continue. .